Homophobic bullying
has been reported in primary, as well as secondary schools. It may be
directed at young people of any sexual orientation and at children who
have not yet reached puberty. Teachers, parents and other adults in
schools may also be bullied in this way.

Homophobic bullying
in schools can be a problem in a number of ways:

Children who
experience it have their education disrupted. They may be unable to
concentrate on lessons because of feelings of fear or anger. Their
self-confidence may be damaged and, as a result, they may never fulfil
their academic potential.

It can be a
particular problem for teenagers who are confused or unsure about
their own developing sexuality. Some victims are driven to the edge
of despair or beyond, with lasting consequences for their emotional
health and development.

Schools that
ignore it, or deny its existence, are not helping young people to
develop a concern for the welfare of minorities and tolerance of difference.

What
is homophobic bullying?

Homophobic bullying
can involve physical or mental violence by a group or an individual.
It is often aimed at someone who has poor defences and who, as a result,
may be significantly upset. Victims may be male or female. What distinguishes
it from other forms of bullying is the language that is used. Words
like queer and poof and lezzie have
been used abusively for many years. They have now been joined by words
(such as gay and lesbian) which were formerly
descriptive but which now may be used as general insults. In some youth
cultures, gay is now used as a derogatory adjective to describe
objects and people that may have no connection whatsoever with homosexuality.

Both boys and girls
may be subjected to homophobic abuse.

Why
does it happen?

The root
cause may well be prejudice against gay and lesbian people. Even very
young children, who do not understand what homosexuality is, may be
encouraged to indulge in homophobic behaviour by this general prejudice.

Individual motivations
may be more complicated and, as in the case of other forms of bullying,
may include a desire for power or a need for affiliation: some people
gain satisfaction from imposing their power on others and a group will
be strengthened if someone else is outside that group. Identifying people
as being different because of their gender orientation may be a convenient
excuse for isolating and persecuting them. The bonds that tie the members
of a group together are strengthened because the members are not different.

Fear may also be
a motivation - as the word homophobic suggests. This can
be a fear of the unknown, a fear of someone who is perceived to be different,
or a fear which is based on uncertainty about the nature of their own
developing sexuality:

Keep away
poofta.

Here he
comes, backs to the wall.

Many adolescent
boys say that the worst thing anyone can call you is gay.
In accusing others of being gay they may seek to demonstrate their own
masculinity.

Who
bullies?

Both sexes
can be involved in homophobic name-calling. However, anecdotal evidence
suggests that boys are most likely to be victimised by other boys. The
bullying, especially if it is physical or verbally aggressive, is often
deliberate but sometimes bullies may not realise the harm that they
are doing. They may believe that their victim enjoys their jokes,
or that the label they have attached to him is simply a nickname.

Some very young
children indulge in homophobic bullying. In one Scottish primary school
the head teacher reported that boys as young as seven regularly used
words like poof and gayboy.

Teachers are rarely
accused of such overt actions but, by the careless use of words such
as sissy or by simply failing to challenge homophobic name-calling,
they can be perceived as giving tacit approval. One mother described
what happened to her 9 year old son:

He is a sensitive
wee boy who doesnt enjoy sport. On a cold wet windy day he was
standing shivering on the rugby field when the PE teacher came over
to him and said, If youre just going to stand there shivering
why dont you do what you do best - go and play with the girls.

Who
is affected by homophobic bullying?

Children
and adults who are perceived to be gay or lesbian

Young
people and adults who are lesbian or gay

Children
who have a gay or lesbian, parent or sibling

Everyone
who teaches or learns in an environment where such behaviour is tolerated.

Young people who
are sure of their identity as gay or lesbian, especially if they have
chosen to reveal this to their peers, are likely to be subjected to
some homophobic name calling. However, the majority of victims in schools
are either too young to be certain about their sexual orientation -
or are heterosexual. This statement is not intended to diminish the
suffering of young people who are gay but rather to emphasise just how
widespread the practice of homophobic bullying is. A sixteen year old
boy described his experiences:

The others are
always calling me names - things like gay and poofta and bummer. They
do this just because I dont enjoy football and the other stupid
things which they like. I cant stand it. I cant sleep
at night, Ive been staying off school and I just keep thinking
about what they say. Maybe its true but I dont think it
is. I like girls! I think Im heterosexual.

Taunts do not have
to be true to be hurtful. But taunts like this hurt so much because
we live in a society where homophobia is so common.

What
about Gay and Lesbian parents?

The Educational
Institute of Scotland has produced a very useful document covering Lesbian
and Gay equality in Education called, Breaking
Down the Barriers. This document points out that in schools,
there are a wide variety of family arrangements; both birth parents
live at home in a married relationship; adoptive parents; single parenthood;
extended family arrangements; new families through remarriage; gay or
lesbian parent Without an inclusive and non-discriminatory approach
young people may feel their family arrangement is perceived to be second
best.

Sometimes a teachers
actions can have a powerful effect.

My youngest son
Sam, (one of seven children) in his first year at primary school was
making a calendar with drawings of his family members on it. When
he came home with the calendar he had made he was upset. It was a
mess because the teacher had made him score out one of the people
and it was a big black blob where once there was a person. The calendar
had a picture of Mummy, Sam and 3 of his 5 brothers and one blacked
out person. I asked him why the teacher had made him scribble out
that one. He said it was Mary and she was not allowed on his family
calendar. Mary was my girlfriend and the teacher was fully aware we
were in a gay relationship. The teacher had written each name under
each person and then requested Sam to black out the one he called
Mary - I was disgusted then and am still now at such biased attitudes".

Teachers
can be victims too

It is not
just pupils who can be subjected to homophobic bullying in schools.
The following teachers account is also taken from the EIS document
mentioned above:

I have been working
in my current school for about 18 years My gay sexuality is
known to most of my colleagues. The senior management is aware of
this also I have lost count of the number of times I have had
poof, bender or gayboy mumbled at me in the corridor or shouted at
me across the playground. Recently I attended a performance in the
local theatre accompanied by a gay friend. On approaching the theatre
I could see a group of pupils in the shadows. Once they recognised
me I heard my name being mentioned and then poof, bender shouted at
the top of their voices. It was distressing. On another occasion I
was walking with a group of colleagues to the local Tesco. I was singled
out for abusive treatment. My name alone was constantly repeated and
gay bastard and other abusive terms shouted at me. The group created
so much noise, that members of the public turned around to see what
the commotion was about. It was a particularly humiliating experience
especially since I was singled out. I was unable to identify the pupils
as they were hiding behind bushes. I reported the matter to the Headteacher.
I am confident in who I am and confident in being a gay man but incidents
like these do knock me.

It is important
that any school anti-bullying policy should embrace all members of the
school community - adult and child. This particular account also points
to the need for other agencies, such as the police, to be involved in
discussions about how incidents can be tackled. Episodes of bullying
often straddle the invisible boundary between school and the wider community.
This teacher was picked on precisely because he was a teacher - even
though the incidents described happened well away from the school.

How
should teachers react?

Homophobic
name-calling should always be challenged in the same way that racist
or sexist behaviour is. Normal anti-bullying strategies should be used
when reacting to incidents and these strategies must have a clear place
within the context of a whole school preventative policy. The most important
thing teachers can do is to strive to create a positive, open, tolerant
ethos in which matters of concern to young people are discussed calmly.
If the response to homophobic bullying is purely reactive and short-term
this may only serve to marginalise victims.

What should be taught?

The curriculum
should include appropriate coverage of sexuality, although teachers
must be sensitive to the age and emotional development of pupils and
to the cultural practices and religious beliefs of families. Discussions
about homophobia and other kinds of bullying and abuse may be included
in a number of curriculum areas, including Health Education, Sex Education,
Personal and Social Education, English, History, Media Studies, Modern
Studies and Religious and Moral Education. The aim of such discussions
is to allow children to develop the skills, values and knowledge which
they need in order to protect themselves from harassment and abuse of
all kinds and to become non-abusing individuals themselves. However,
these skills and values will only be useful if they are unambiguously
linked to knowledge and understanding about the contexts in which they
can be applied. If young people learn that a skill like assertiveness
can be useful in tackling, say, child abuse they will not necessarily
assume that it can be used in other situations in which they find themselves,
such as homophobic bullying. This is more fully discussed in an SEED
sponsored publication, Promoting Personal Safety and Child Protection
in the Curriculum (see below).

The reluctance
of teachers to enter into discussions with pupils about homosexuality
and homophobia will be overcome if there is clear agreement about what
pupils need to learn and appropriate training for those teachers responsible
for promoting this learning. A useful summary of advice and guidance
relating to sex education is on the Parentzone
website.

Discussing
policy

All members
of the wider school community, should be involved in discussions aimed
at agreeing a general policy on all types of bullying, including that
which is motivated by homophobia. Account should be taken of any Education
Authority policy documents and advice from national bodies. New national
guidelines on sex education were issued in 2001.

Specific guidelines
about how homophobia should be tackled in the classroom should be discussed
and agreed at a full staff meeting. In the absence of any detailed national
guidelines we have drawn up a list of suggestions which we hope will
help to initiate such a discussion.

Classroom
guidelines - discussion points

In order to promote
tolerant, non-abusive behaviour in their pupils and to protect themselves
from accusations of bias or improper conduct when discussing homophobia
or homosexuality in the classroom, teachers should:

respect the
age and stage of development of individual pupils

let parents
know that this is one of the topics that will be covered within the
curriculum and invite discussion about this

make pupils
aware that people have a right to express their sexuality in any way
which is within the law and a responsibility not to harass others,
whatever their sexual orientation

help pupils
to understand that there are opposing but sincerely held views about
homosexuality

inform pupils
that different societies have different attitudes towards homosexuality
- it is accepted in some, tolerated in some, and completely outlawed
in others

provide pupils
with accurate information about the law on homosexuality in this country

acknowledge
the risks associated with some sexual practices without reinforcing
stereotypical assumptions and heterosexual and homosexual behaviour

tell pupils
that they are free to discuss everything which has happened in the
classroom with their parents

challenge any
homophobic remarks which are made about pupils or teachers during
any class discussion.

They should
not

make any assumptions
about any pupils sexual orientation - it may take some time
for this to be established - it may not happen until after the young
person has left school - it is something the young person must decide
for himself or herself

discuss details
of their own intimate personal lives (heterosexual or homosexual)
with pupils.

What
does research tell us?

Research suggests
that while homophobic bullying is common, there is no conclusive evidence
to show that it is decreasing or increasing.

An English study
by Ian Rivers of 190 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered men and
women who were bullied at school, considered the long term effects of
this childhood experience. The participants revealed a greater tendency
to exhibit depressive tendencies, when compared to lesbian, gay and
bisexual men and women who had not been bullied at school. However they
did not suffer from low self-esteem. The study did not find that they
had particular problems with anxiety or had insecurity problems with
close relationships.

What
is the attitude of the Catholic Church in Scotland to homophobia?

The Anti-Bullying
Network does not comment on religious beliefs but it may be helpful
to remind ourselves of this
pastoral message from the Scottish Catholic Bishops which makes
it clear that teachers in Catholic schools should tackle homophobic
bullying and abuse.

Every human person
has the right to be free from bigotry, intolerance and fear. Every human
person has the right to live his or her life in peace, irrespective
of race, religion, colour, gender or sexual orientation. We condemn
unreservedly violence or bullying perpetrated for whatever reason.

All
schools have a duty to tackle homophobic bullying

Schools should
aim to have an ethos which is inclusive and tolerant of difference.
There is no place for anything that might be perceived as condoning
homophobic attitudes or behaviour. Teachers must explicitly condemn
homophobic bullying and equip themselves to be able to discuss pupils
concerns about homosexuality in a balanced manner that is appropriate
to the age of the young people concerned. In fact it could be argued
that if teachers fail to do this they will not be able to carry out
their duty of care to their pupils, which includes doing everything
possible to provide a safe learning environment.

What
about Section 28?

Section
28 is mentioned here merely as a matter of record. It has now
been abolished and, in any event, schools have always had a duty to
protect children from all kinds of abuse, including homophobic abuse.

Read
this

Promoting Personal
Safety and Child Protection in the Curriculum, Available from the
Anti-Bullying Network

Personal Relationships
and Developing Sexuality - A Staff Development Resource for Teachers,
Published by University of Strathclyde, Faculty of Education 1994

EACH
- EACH is a support service for young people affected by homophobia.
It provides a FREEFONE helpline to all parts of the UK: 0808 1000
143. Available 9am to 5pm weekdays and 10am to 12pm Saturdays, it
gives someone the opportunity to be heard and offered further help
and support. E-mail EACH here.

LGBT
Youth Scotland
have produced an Anti-Homphobic Bullying - Young People's Poster Resource
Set. This set includes 4 A3-sized glossy posters and is suitable for
schools, youth clubs, health services and general settings. Order
form in pdf available here!

February
2004

Any comments or questions about this information sheet should be directed
to Andrew
Mellor at the Anti-Bullying Network.
0131 651 6100